Tracking and monitoring with geo-fencing

ABSTRACT

A networked cattle tracking system may track cattle using a base station, smart tags for cattle, and a mobile device. Tags are placed on each animal within a group of cattle. The tags may communicate with each other and with a base station. The tags may communication animal location and other information, including temperature, movement, blood information, and so on. A user may track cattle location, behavior, health, and other information at a base station monitor or a remote wireless device in communication with the base station and plurality of tags.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the priority benefit of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/076,584 filed Mar. 21, 2016, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/917,328 filed Jun.13, 2013, which claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisionalapplication No. 61/659,285 filed Jun. 13, 2012. The disclosures of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cattle loss through theft and fraudulent invoicing, fictitious deathloss, under reported livestock on BLM managed lands, and low compliancewith federal laws for tracking imported livestock cause multimilliondollar losses to cattle ranchers, bankers, and taxpayers. Several issuesface the livestock industry in the United States.

First, cattle theft and fraud is at an all-time high, costing insurermillions of dollars per incident, and there are many high-valueincidents reported each year. Most theft cases go unsolved, and there isno traceability across state lines, so stolen cattle in one state can betransported across state boundaries and be sold at full price using astolen tag.

Second, stock have a high cost to management in many aspects ofproduction, such as feeding, immunization tracing, disease quarantine,herding for counting and identification, and many other area.Additionally, source location is unknown for diseased or contaminatedanimal food products, which causes widespread recall of food products.Food recall has a high cost association and high social impact to endconsumers. In addition to these issues, there is a market demand wherebyconsumers want to know the source of their food purchased at foodmarkets.

There is a need in the art for an improved system of tracking cattle.

SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMED INVENTION

The present technology may track cattle using a networked trackingsystem. Tags are placed on each animal within a group of cattle. Thetags may communicate with each other and with a base station. The tagsmay communication animal location and other information, includingtemperature, movement, blood information, and so on. A user may trackcattle location, behavior, health, and other information at a basestation monitor or a remote wireless device in communication with thebase station and plurality of tags.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for tracking cattle.

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary nodes of tags.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary table of information for tracked animals.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary method for retrieving data from a tag.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary method for processing tag data.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computing system that may be used toimplement an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This invention provides a system for tracking of livestock andprevention of livestock theft and fraud. The tracking system of thepresent invention may help prevent livestock management and productioninefficiencies, guessing or estimation of visual evaluation to ascertainthe genetic endpoint or market readiness of the animal, and preventsunnecessary death loss. Embodiments of the invention may be used toimprove conception rate of livestock, relocation of bulls for moreefficient cow conception rates, prevent wasting of feed to livestock,improve impact to the environment, stewardship of the environment,identifying the source and location of disease infected animals forminimal quarantine implementation, elimination of bullers syndrome, andearly indication of health and digestive problems.

In September of 2010, the FCC released the white space of analog TVchannels when digital television was mandated. The present technologymay include RF (radio frequency) and wireless products for communicationsystems with very low power consumption, which can receive small signalsat very long distances. The present technology may include a TVWSwireless communication system or datalink that may operate at a localcattle feeding operation or ranch, which is termed the base orheadquarters. A tag or sensor (used interchangeably herein) cost targetis inexpensive, and that have a base station with an antenna at theheadquarters is a suitable technical approach. By doing this, the needfor cellular capabilities in each ear tag is eliminated, therebydecreasing the cost significantly.

In embodiments, a WiFi radio and modules for television white space maybe used to implement portions of the present technology. The presenttechnology may operation over a frequency of 466-866 MHz, and may usethe frequency associated with “Super White Frequency” based on an FCCRuling from Sep. 23, 2010. The invention may include a smart grid radiothat operates in the same white space or other bands.

There are several advantages to the present invention, which include;instant geo-location of each tag overlaid onto a map on a computer,flexible frequency plan to get optimal operation due to terraindifferences, low cost, and a system that is ideal for open ranges andfeeding operations.

The system of the invention may include a high signal to noise ratioradio capable of detecting ultra low signals at the local base stationfor Tx/Rx (>30 dBm Output), with high gain antenna (>20 dB) that cancommunicate using spread spectrum, among other modulation techniques. 2.Multi-band all whether radio capable of detecting ultra low signals atthe local base station at super Wi-Fi white space frequencies, areceiver/Transmitter hardware, an antenna, mobile handheld device, asoftware for installation on laptop, users computer, or other computersconnected the internet, a RF short range datalink to other computersand/or the handheld device, a connection to the internet work canprovide the data to remote locations on the web.

The present technology may include a remote sensor small enough to fitonto the ear tag of a livestock that includes an RF section that allowscommunication to the base station, a GPS section that provides thecoordinates, a processing section that provides power conditioning,modulation of the digital coordinates for the RF section, a power sourcesuch as a battery, and/or a charging circuit from a solar film source.

Cell phone capability could be added to track the sensors over a longerrange. The short range wireless function can be optional. Bluetooth,Wi-Fi, Zigbee and other standard wireless capability could be added foruse as a control, indicator, or other means. The remote sensors are adatalink to the base station that indicates location within thegeo-fence relaying its coordinates from the GPS section.

The base station has a datalink to each remote tag within the geo-fenceoverlays each position onto a map, and performs a comparison against theknown id's of remote tags. Should one or more sensors be determinedoutside of the geo-fence, that would be considered a breach, and alarmwill indicate the breach to the user. The remote sensor is able toreceive GPS coordinates and send those coordinates, along with batterylife, to a local base station via super WiFi white space band. The localbase station will then communicate to a local computer that will overlaythe location of the remote sensor on to a map that will have apredetermined geo-fence. The system may be configured to alert police,bank, rancher, and other entities via internet communication.

The remote sensors may remain in sleep mode for power management untilthe base station datalink provides to correct code to wake up the remotesensor. Once the remote sensor wakes up, it will transmit itscoordinates and from the GPS section (and any other data collected byother sensors) back to the base station. The base station will comparethe coordinates against the geo-fence. If the remote sensor is withinthe geo-fence, then the base station will record it on the map forvisual display. The base station will do this for each remote tagdefined by the user

An embodiment of implementing the system is as follows. A local basestation may be designed and fabricated as is known in the art. Livestockremote sensors may also be designed and fabricated. Software for theprocessing of the data and mapping software may be created and thesoftware may be programmed with the unique identifiers to be used withthe geo-fence. A geo-fence may be created for the area of interest. Auser or administrator may then install the sensors on livestock andperform an inventory of sensor ID's. The sensor can modified to be usedon livestock and other animals such as sheep, horses, swine, poultry,zoo animals, hunting dogs, wildlife tracking parks or other areas. Theuser can view the updated map with all sensor locations on a PC orhandheld mobile device using the software and networked base station andsensors. The user can take action to breach of a remote sensor to alertauthorities, track down stolen livestock, and recover stolen livestock.Additionally, the computer and sensors can be networked, for example viathe internet, and remote users can load the software and program thesensors into the software, which allows other users to remotely monitorthe livestock sensors.

The present technology can be used to track advanced data and knowledgeof animals throughout the life of the animal, such as, but not limitedto; white blood cell count, lipids, blood titer, immunization records,body temperature, rumin ph, association of calf to cow, association ofbull to cow, amino acid levels and hormone levels of the blood, and anyother blood characteristics or any other parameter that can be measured.Rain fall levels compared to historical average, measurement of forageproduction, and ambient heat compared to historical average heat. A lifecycle of the animal's geographical history from birth to death can bemaintained and tracked, where there are many life cycles within thetotal period of life for the animal. A system may provide any storedinformation of the animal to end users for the purposes of knowing thelocation of where the food came from using the aforementioned knowledgerecorded of the animal, post processing information can be understood,such as but not limited to, to determine body fat, pregnancy, genealogytree, genetics, feed consumption which all can be used for improvementof management and production efficiencies. Using the correlation ofblood lipid levels to body fat, the present system can determine theanimal's genetic end point or market readiness. Users can access totemperature and rainfall data and relocate the livestock to optimalfeeding area as needed.

The sensors can be reconfigured to any electronic device, to remotelysend any data to a base station, for example home audio/videoapplications to stream data from a central base station to any device inthe household or within the range of the base station. Monitors and/orTVs could receive their data from the base station in lieu of connectingto a cable, phone, or satellite outlet, thereby eliminating the need forrouting cable, phone, data, and internet cable throughout a house orbuilding. Streaming data from video and audio recording devices toremote TV's or monitors may thereby eliminate the need for routingcables (Examples would be at concerts, events, temporary stations forinforming, etc.). A local long range radio frequency datalink may beestablished between a single and/or multiple remote sensors within adefined range or distance. Additionally, the remote sensors have a GPStracking capability, whereby the livestock's location coordinates areprovided to the RF portion and then communicate through the RF datalinkto the base station. The base station may include mapping software witha user defined geo-fence that will overlay coordinates of each sensor.The software at the base station will determine if the coordinates ofeach sensor are within the geo-fence. If not, an alarm will indicate tothe user that a fence breach has been detected. The base station mobiledevice will provide the user with a map and the location of the sensorthat has breached the geo-fence, allowing the user to locate thelivestock that has breached the fence.

The tags can be uniquely coded so that specific information to thesubject animal can be loaded and used throughout the history of the tag.Information about specific tags linked to specific animals can berecorded within the software at the base station. The data within thesoftware is available to the user for post processing.

The tracking system can use an unlimited amount of remote sensors thatuses the super-Wi-Fi white space frequency band, having a very low powerconsumption circuit to put the remote tag into a sleep mode, whereby canwake up upon receiving a signal from the a long range base stationdatalink, which will then transmit the GPS coordinates and other sensordata back to the base station, which then uses a short range datalink totransmit the data to RF datalink via a USB connection to a computer,which is then connected to the internet and display the GPS coordinatesand other sensor data onto a map or in a database.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for tracking cattle.The system of FIG. 1 includes a base station 110, a computing device120, one or more networks 130 such as the Wi-Fi, the Internet, GPSnetwork, and other communication networks, third party entities 140 suchas police, banks and ranchers, a geo fence 150 with a network of tags, amobile device 160 and GPS satellites 170. Within the network of tags area plurality of RF tags or sensors with GPS capability and a televisionwhite space (TVWS) datalink. The local base station, which may be fixedor mobile, may transmit and receive data and utilize high power TVWSfrequencies. The computer may include a processor and memory, the memorystoring mapping software configured to communicate with the wirelesslink to the base station when executed by the processor.

The system of FIG. 1 may include an antenna connected to the basestation for transmitting and receiving communications to the tags withinand outside of the geofence. A connection may be formed between via TVWSbetween the computing device 120 and the base station to record datafrom the tags through the base station. The computing device 120 mayinclude one or more applications which are able to process received tagdata and provide tag location on map with an indication of the geofence.The applications may also allow a user to record information defined inthe tags and associated with a unique identifier associated with eachtag. A user of computer device 120 can monitor the location of the tagsand corresponding animals and determine if they remain within thegeofence or not. If an animal with a tag moves outside the geofence, analarm may be triggered to inform a user or other entity of the tagoutside the geofence.

There are several advantages to using wireless communication via TVWSfrequencies as in embodiments of the present invention. First, the TVWSutilizes frequencies in the 50-700 MHz bands, which prior to now havenot been available due to FCC restrictions. These lower frequenciescorrespond to long wavelengths allowing for low power signals to travelfurther than cell phones. Wavelength A is proportionate to frequency, asillustrated below:λ=ν/fwhere .ν is the magnitude of the phase velocity and f is the frequency.

The lower the frequency the longer the wavelength, which also impliesless instantaneous bandwidth the system can provide. TVWS frequenciesenable this optimum point to be reached between frequency, power andbandwidth. Secondly, power and data are crucial to the success of acattle tag system. Wireless communication allows transmission of signalsat the lowest possible power with high data efficiency. In the case ofthe cattle tag, Spread Spectrum communication allows for the tag totransmit and receive from long ranges (up to 160 miles), which is farsuperior to what has been achieved with Bluetooth or RFID technology.Operational long ranges correspond to tag energy conservation for a longlasting tag life (>7 years), with a solar power charging circuit.

The third advantage is that the system will be made up of ‘Smart’ tags,as shown as blue dots in FIG. 1, which are networked together, so thatall individual tags do not have to communicate back to the base station,thereby conserving power. The individual tags still maintain thecapability to communicate individually to the base station, if theycannot network together.

An alarm may be triggered if a sensor attached to an animal is detectedoutside of the geofence. The alarm can be user defined, and may resultin generation and transmission of a message in the form of an email,phone call, page, SMS message, or other message. The message may includeinformation including the location of the sensor, the animal associatedwith the sensor, time and date information (time stamp), and otherinformation. A base station, which may be a mobile device or othercomputing device, may be used to locate the sensor and collect locationinformation from the sensor. For example, the base station may be movedto communicate with the sensor and collect location information from aGPS receive unit, such that the sensor location can be displayed by thecomputing device on a map or other display. When implemented as a mobiledevice, the base station may include one or more applications forcommunicating with sensors, displaying location and other data abouteach sensor, such as for example within a map displayed in the device,and other functionality as described herein for a base station.

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary nodes of tags. In some embodiments, eachtag will belong to a node, shown as an orange dot. A node will be madeup of small number of tags that can be customized. Each node identifiesa node leader closest to the base station and the node leaders aregrouped. This grouping will be called a cluster, shown as purple dots.Each cluster can be a customizable number of node leaders. Thereconfiguration happens autonomously a few times a day. By doing this,tags will communicate with each other and configure themselves so thatonly a few tags communicate to the base station. In the event that onetag strays away; the GPS signal will be relayed to its node leader; thenode leader will communicate to the cluster and the cluster leader thatis closest to the base station, shown as a black dot, will relay theinformation of the cattle that is stray, shown as a red dot on FIG. 2.Cell phones, WiFi technology and Bluetooth applications may be used tomake the cost of the tag system more achievable by leveraging from theircomponents used in the applications. The recently open TVWS frequenciesfor wireless communication has allowed for low power tags, efficienttracking, flexible frequency plans, and expandable sensor technology.

The cattle tag may be a smart device which logic enabling it tocommunicate with other tags and make decisions based on the sensorlocation, needs and battery power. However, being smart is only one ofmany challenges that the tag may overcome. Most consumer electronicproducts have poor reliability. Few or no cell phones or Bluetoothdevices can withstand the hardship of rain, snow, sun, and heat. Thepresent technology may leverage existing consumer electronicstechnologies on sensors, packaging, solar cell, Radios, GPS, andantennas to come up with an innovative tag system.

The natural environments around a cattle tag may be rugged anddifficult. In many occasions, the electronics circuits withstandprolonged exposure to water and dust. In electronics, water exposure orhumidity causes corrosion, which causes circuits of the prior art tofail over time. Also, when humidity gets trapped inside electronicscircuits, it leads to short circuits causing permanent damage. On theother hand, low humidity allows for static electricity, which a singledischarge can lead to latent failures of the sensors over time. Heat isanother factor that can cause the tag to get damaged when the thermaljunction of electronic devices reaches its maximum temperature rating.The tag of the present technology will successfully withstand thesurrounding environments.

Different types of sensors may be used to collect information. Onesystem may need to capture temperature, while another sensor may warnabout battery life. Other sensors may collect bio-information bycommunicating to RFID or Bluetooth devices within the body of thecattle. An anti-tampering sensor may warn a user, administrator or bothif the cattle travel too fast or if the tag has been removed from thecattle. These sensors along with others make the tag a vital element onhow cattle is produced and monitored for decades to come.

Radio, GPS, & antenna technology are a critical to the tag. The adventof highly integrated circuits into Monolithic Microwave IntegratedCircuits (MMICs) allow Radio Frequency (RF) circuits to be more highlyintegrated, allowing for smaller and lower cost circuits. The insurgenceof GPS circuits in MMIC technology, primarily used by companies likeGarmin, has led to more cost effective options. The antenna technologyhas also evolved and can now be embedded into a MMIC or the package.Moving forward, all of these elements make the tag small and costeffective.

Additional elements that make the tag unique are the solar energy &packaging technology. The tag uses solar energy to ensure that the tagstays charged with state of the art battery technology. The solar cellswill be integrated as part of the packaging technology. The advancementof new materials enables Polylithic packaging constructions.

The local base station will be modular in nature. To make the basestation as cost effective as possible, the station may be configurableto adopt multiple data links, frequencies, transmit power levels, powersources, and installations. The local base station may reconfigure it'stransmit and receive data links to work under most TVWS frequency andbandwidths. At the same time, it will have a power amplifier module thatcan be replaced depending on the need for high, medium, or low powertransmission. Additionally, the multi-data link channels will have GPS &Bluetooth capability. One data link is used as an option to communicatewith an external mobile device that may be searching for the cattle, ina search and find mode. The station will come with a computer or alaptop with a USB thumb drive using Bluetooth technology. The Bluetoothprovides a wireless link from the base station to a local computer,which provides instant reports to end user via the Internet about cattlelocation, sensor, and battery life.

The mobile device may provides tag tracking capability; in a search andfind mode of an application stored in memory of a mobile device andexecuted by one or more mobile device processors (not illustrated inFIG. 1), a map with location of cattle information streaming live fromthe local base station or from the tags; whichever is closer, such asutilizing an executable application present on the mobile device. Themobile device may also have cellular phone capability which can sendinformation via the cell phone towers any where in the world aboutcattle location.

A few benefits of the present tracking system is that users may have aninstant location of any animal wearing a smart tag, overlaid onto a mapon their computer or handheld device. If a theft occurs, the user isalerted immediately and can alert authorities and/or track the stolentags themselves. Another advantage is that the sensors that are deployedtoday can be interfaced with a data link, and can be individually tracedwith the animal's assigned identification. Mother-daughter relationshipsof tags can be created, so calf's can be associated with the cow and canbe maintained in the database for the life of the animal along with anyother sensor data that can be interfaced with our datalink. Vitalinformation of the animal can be stored and reviewed simply by callingup the identification information on the user software.

The present technology may also be used for other market applicationssuch as consumer electronics and connectivity applications, and otherapplications as the TVWS white space guidelines permit.

The present livestock tracking system of the present invention willallow for instant location of cattle on mapping software and interfacewith existing sensors such as Zigbeef, bolus's, temperature sensors, andother measuring sensors that exist today. This will reduce theft ofcattle saving the cattlemen and insurers many millions of dollars peryear and reduce operations cost associated with handling of thelivestock to read the identification of the animal.

The present livestock tracking and identification system will satisfythe USDA Strategic Goal 3 (Help America Promote Agricultural ProductionAnd Biotechnology Exports As America Works To Increase Food Security) byallowing feedlots and ranchers of livestock to revolutionize the methodsin which they manage and protect livestock by having instantaneouslocation and information about a specific animal. They will be able toutilize the data for creating optimal food products and changing habitsthat greatly benefit animal food consumers in the USA.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary table of information for tracked animals. Thetable of FIG. 3 includes column headings of animal type, animalquantity, area descriptions such as summer cow pasture, winter cowpasture, bull pasture, replacement pasture, summer pasture, winterpasture, breeding, feed lot test area, feed lot feed pens, and feed lotsick pens, and animal status such as sold and slaughter. The rowsinclude headings for types of animas, such as bull, steer, replacementheifer and slaughter heifer. The quantity column may display informationin percentage format, numbers of animals or other format.

Each area in the table may be associated with one or more geofencedareas. For each area description, the number of animals in the area maybe indicated in the chart. The table may also reflect that animals arekept or should be kept in the particular area. The information in thetable may be entered by a user to configure a geofencing area andalerts. Alternatively, the information in the table may be all orpartially populated based on data retrieved from the tags and knowngeofencing boundaries.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary method for retrieving data from a tag. First atag is selected at step 410. A signal is transmitted to the tag at step420. A base station may transmit a TVWS pulse to the selected tag toactivate the tag and retrieve information from the tag. The tag receivesthe signal at step 430 and transmits a response signal with data. Thetag may be in sleep mode upon receiving the pulse. The tag may “awake”from sleep mode, transmit its current coordinates and other data to thebase station, and may then return to sleep mode. The current coordinatesfor the tag may be determined from a GPS system which includes GPSsatellites.

The response from the tag is received at step 440 and the data in theresponse is provided to a computing device, such as computing device 120of FIG. 1, at step 450. A determination is made as to whether more tagsare to be “pinged” for location and other data at step 460. In someembodiments, each tag may be pinged periodically, so more tags may existto be pinged if a corresponding tag has not been pinged along with theother pinged tags during the current period. If more tags exist to bepinged, the next tag is selected at step 470 (for example, by computingdevice 120) and the method returns to step 420. If not further tagsexist to be pinged, the tag data is processed at step 480. Processingtag data is discussed in more detail with respect to FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary method for processing tag data. A position ofeach tag is determined from the received tag data at step 510. A tagposition may be determined from GPS data provided by the particular tag.A map of one or more geofenced areas is rendered at step 520. Therendering may include generating an image of the geofenced area andproviding the image through a display of a device such as computingdevice 120 or mobile device 160. The location of each tag is displayedwith respect to the geofence at step 530. Each tag may be located withinthe geofence, outside the geofence, or in some way to indicate that thetag location is not known.

A determination is made as to whether every tag is within the geofenceand if any tag is determined to be outside the geofence at step 540. Ifany tag is determined to be outside the geofence, the system may createan alarm at step 550. Creating an alarm may include sending a messagevia email, SMS, or some other communication format to a user,administrator, or other recipient. The message may include tag ID,animal information, known animal location, time and date the tag wasdetermined to be outside the geofence, and other information. If no tagsare outside the geofence, the method of FIG. 5 continues to step 560.

A determination is made as to whether any tag location is not known ornot responding to a signal transmission (step 420, FIG. 4) at step 560.If no tags are not responding or have an unknown location, the method ofFIG. 5 ends at step 580. If any tag is not responding or has an unknownlocation, the system may create an alarm at step 570. The alarm at step570 may be similar to the alarms of step 550, and may include tag ID,animal information, last known tag/animal location, time and of signaltransmissions to the tag, and other data. If no tags are not respondingor have an unknown location, the method of FIG. 5 ends at step 580. Themethod of FIG. 5 then ends at step 580.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computing system 600 that may be used toimplement an embodiment of the present invention. System 600 of FIG. 6may be implemented in the contexts of the likes of portions of a basestation, computing devices, hand held devices, monitoring systems, andother devices utilized in embodiments of the present invention. Thecomputing system 600 of FIG. 6 includes one or more processors 610 andmemory 610. Main memory 610 stores, in part, instructions and data forexecution by processor 610. Main memory 610 can store the executablecode when in operation. The system 600 of FIG. 6 further includes a massstorage device 630, portable storage medium drive(s) 640, output devices650, user input devices 660, a graphics display 670, and peripheraldevices 680.

The components shown in FIG. 6 are depicted as being connected via asingle bus 690. However, the components may be connected through one ormore data transport means. For example, processor unit 610 and mainmemory 610 may be connected via a local microprocessor bus, and the massstorage device 630, peripheral device(s) 680, portable storage device640, and display system 670 may be connected via one or moreinput/output (I/O) buses.

Mass storage device 630, which may be implemented with a magnetic diskdrive or an optical disk drive, is a non-volatile storage device forstoring data and instructions for use by processor unit 610. Massstorage device 630 can store the system software for implementingembodiments of the present invention for purposes of loading thatsoftware into main memory 610.

Portable storage device 640 operates in conjunction with a portablenon-volatile storage medium, such as a floppy disk, compact disk orDigital video disc, to input and output data and code to and from thecomputer system 600 of FIG. 6. The system software for implementingembodiments of the present invention may be stored on such a portablemedium and input to the computer system 600 via the portable storagedevice 640.

Input devices 660 provide a portion of a user interface. Input devices660 may include an alpha-numeric keypad, such as a keyboard, forinputting alpha-numeric and other information, or a pointing device,such as a mouse, a trackball, stylus, or cursor direction keys.Additionally, the system 600 as shown in FIG. 6 includes output devices650. Examples of suitable output devices include speakers, printers,network interfaces, and monitors.

Display system 670 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) or othersuitable display device. Display system 670 receives textual andgraphical information, and processes the information for output to thedisplay device.

Peripherals 680 may include any type of computer support device to addadditional functionality to the computer system. For example, peripheraldevice(s) 680 may include a modem or a router.

The components contained in the computer system 600 of FIG. 6 are thosetypically found in computer systems that may be suitable for use withembodiments of the present invention and are intended to represent abroad category of such computer components that are well known in theart. Thus, the computer system 600 of FIG. 6 can be a personal computer,hand held computing device, telephone, mobile computing device,workstation, server, minicomputer, mainframe computer, or any othercomputing device. The computer can also include different busconfigurations, networked platforms, multi-processor platforms, etc.Various operating systems can be used including Unix, Linux, Windows,Macintosh OS, Palm OS, and other suitable operating systems.

The foregoing detailed description of the technology herein has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the technology to the precise formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above teaching. The described embodiments were chosen in order tobest explain the principles of the technology and its practicalapplication to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilizethe technology in various embodiments and with various modifications asare suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that thescope of the technology be defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for tag-based tracking, the systemcomprising: a plurality of tags that form a node that identify aselected tag in the node based on a distance between each of theplurality of tags in the node and a base station, wherein the selectedtag is nearest to the base station among the plurality of tags in thenode and changes autonomously according to movement of the plurality oftags versus the base station, wherein each of the plurality of tags inthe node is attached to one object in a group of objects, receivessatellite positioning signals, and communicates position information tothe selected tag in the node; and the base station in communication withthe selected tag over a wireless network, wherein the base station:receives data from the selected tag, determines a location and anidentification for each of the plurality of tags in the node from thereceived data, determines that the group of objects is within ageofenced area based on the location and the identification for each ofthe plurality of tags in the node, and transmits the location and theidentification for each of the plurality of tags in the node to a mobiledevice for display.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the base stationtriggers an alert when an object from the group of objects is outsidethe geofenced area.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the base stationtransmits map data of the geofenced area to the mobile device fordisplay.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station triggers analert when a tag does not respond to the base station.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the geofenced area is associated with the node.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the base station provides graphical data tothe mobile device for rendering the geofenced area, and the location andthe identification for each of the plurality of tags in the node.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tags is configured toidentify the selected tag in the node based on a change in the distancebetween each of the plurality of tags in the node and the base station.8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tags is configured toidentify the selected tag in the node based on expiration of a timeperiod.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of tagsinclude a remote sensor, a power source, and a charging circuit.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the remote sensor of the plurality of tagsinclude a radio frequency section, a GPS section, and a processingsection.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote sensor of theplurality of tags captures a temperature of the object.
 12. The systemof claim 9, where in the power source of the plurality of tags include abattery, wherein the remote sensor of the plurality of tags transmits asignal to the base station regarding when the battery is low.
 13. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the remote sensor of a tag remains in sleepmode until the tag receives a code from the base station to transmit GPScoordinates to the base station.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein thebase station includes a memory that stores a history of location of eachof the plurality of tags.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the basestation generates a graphical data based on the history of location ofeach of the plurality of tags.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein eachof the plurality of tags communicate via television white spacefrequencies.
 17. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected tagcommunicate with the base station via television white spacefrequencies.
 18. A system for tag-based tracking, the system comprising:a plurality of tags that form a node, wherein each tag in the node isattached to an animal from a group of animals, receives satellitepositioning signals, identifies a selected tag in the node based on adistance between each of the plurality of tags in the node and a basestation, wherein the selected tag is nearest to the base station amongthe plurality of tags in the node and changes autonomously according tomovement of the plurality of tags versus the base station, andcommunicates position information to the selected tag in the node; andthe base station in communication with the selected tag over a wirelessnetwork, wherein the base station: receives data from the selected tag,determines a location and an identification for each tag in the nodefrom the received data, determines the group of animals is within ageofenced area based on the location and the identification for each ofthe plurality of tags in the node, and transmits the location and theidentification for each of the plurality of tags in the node to a remotedevice.
 19. A method for tag-based tracking, the method comprising:determining a position of a node comprising a plurality of tags viasatellite positioning signals, wherein each of the plurality of tags isattached to an object in a group of objects; communicating location fora selected tag within the node to a mobile device, wherein the selectedtag is nearest to a base station among the plurality of tags in the nodeand changes autonomously according to movement of the plurality of tagsversus the base station; determining that the group of objects arewithin a predetermined geofenced area based on the communicatedlocation; and taking an action based on the geofencing determination.